The TDI, as equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, shines in highway driving, returning fuel economy on par with the air-hockey-table-sized Smart Fortwo. Diesel currently outpaces gasoline prices by about 20 percent, but the TDI betters the fuel economy of the next-thriftiest Jetta model by more than 30 percent. The SportWagen, although slightly more expensive than the sedan (pricing starts at $24,240), suffers no penalty in fuel economy. It offers more luggage volume than the Prius and just slightly less passenger volume while being good-looking and offering a driving experience that won’t approximate the work of an anesthesiologist. Both aesthetically and dynamically, the diesel-sipping Jetta TDI is engineered to be enjoyed by the user, not just employed.

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The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

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The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

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The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

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